STEP 1 --- Rough Up the Edges of the Blown Area
1) open image
2) type "ctrl" J --- this will make a copy of your background layer
….2a.. click on your new "layer 1" to make it active (if it is not active)
3) select healing brush tool. Make sure brush size is around 125 pixels in size
4) press the "alt" button and click on a cloud area that has texture in it (this sets the area that you are "Stealing From"
5) Click on the fringes 7 or 8 times and get the image to look somewhat like this one I am putting up
6) Show us your results.

Piet, This is exactly what I need, a step by step recipe. BUT, when I did ctrl-j, nothing happened so I clicked on the icon at the bottom of the layers panel to create the blank layer. When I tried step 5, clicking on the edges, this box kept following me around and nothing seemed to happen to the hot spot. I am using a Wacom tablet with a pen. Is that the problem? Matt

Piet, This is exactly what I need, a step by step recipe. BUT, when I did ctrl-j, nothing happened so I clicked on the icon at the bottom of the layers panel to create the blank layer. When I tried step 5, clicking on the edges, this box kept following me around and nothing seemed to happen to the hot spot. I am using a Wacom tablet with a pen. Is that the problem? Matt

delete that top layer and lets try again. Press Ctrl and j at the same time (I am hoping you just pressed them in sequence instead of at the same time). The ctrl key is similar to the Shift key in that it modifies... If that doesn't work, then try right-clicking on the background layer and you will see a menu. select "duplicate layer". We will figure out each step!!!

Edit... Press the CTRL key and then while you are still holding it down, press the J key

Matt, was just thinking, it is important for your keys to work right. and later when the brush size thing pops up it makes me wonder if you have a key stuck or something. I know those tablets and those pens have all kinds of buttons, it may be that you are pressing a button on the pen by accident. Perhaps set the tablet down and attempt this using only a mouse at first so we can make sure the right keys are being pressed..

Piet, Started a lengthy reply and hit a wrong button and everything disappeared. Anyway, I was partly successful BUT could not attach a screen shot because the file was too large. Heading to bed now and will try to figure things out in the morning. Had grandson stuff today so had little time for pM. Nite. Matt

Piet, Couldn't go to bed without trying something different. Saved the file as a jpeg, exported back to Lightroom, then exported it to pM. Here it is. When I clicked on the edges of the clouds, nothing happened. So I tried to use the pen as a brush and scrubbed around. Sometimes it erasesd sometimes it filled. I couldn't get the hang of filling so I stopped where I did.

definitely you made a change. Now we need to start over and figure out how to duplicate the layer (if you have not done this yet). And what tool did you use? Where you able to use the healing brush? Or did you paint the changes in with a soft round brush? Show me a shot of your photoshop screen again with the layers on it (as you did before).

edit -- you say you used your pen as a brush -- by this I am assuming you mean you used the Wacom tablet pen and had the brush tool selected?

definitely you made a change. Now we need to start over and figure out how to duplicate the layer (if you have not done this yet). And what tool did you use? Where you able to use the healing brush? Or did you paint the changes in with a soft round brush? Show me a shot of your photoshop screen again with the layers on it (as you did before).

edit -- you say you used your pen as a brush -- by this I am assuming you mean you used the Wacom tablet pen and had the brush tool selected?

I'm still watching with interest. I'm wondering if Matt is getting off of his layers. That was one of my biggest problems as an early PS beginner. Making sure the layer I wanted was active and the proper icon within that layer selected (image vs mask for instance). Simple things like making sure the right icon is highlighted for the layer, the tool, etc. Many of our problems with PS are caused by faulty selection.

"God gave me photography so that I could pray with my eyes" - Dewitt Jones

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